Threatened Plant Highlights at the Arnold Arboretum

Threatened Plant Highlights at the Arnold Arboretum

For more than a century, the Arnold Arboretum has been an international leader in botanical research by collecting, distributing, and studying unique species from all corners of the Earth. Today, many species in the living collection have become threatened in the wild, as habitat destruction and climate change escalate. These rare specimens are of great conservation value, and the Arboretum maintains that value by properly caring for living specimens, keeping detailed records for each plant on the grounds, and documenting plants with herbarium specimens and digital images. Staff also distribute germplasm and related information to researchers around the world.

As part of this commitment to conservation, the Arnold Arboretum has been a participating institution of the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) since its establishment in 1984. The living collection currently holds nine of the North American native species on the CPC nationally threatened plants list, and the Arboretum is responsible for taking action in curating and using the germplasm to facilitate plant conservation efforts for these species. Below are our CPC holdings, with links to Plant Profiles on the CPC website.